Kids’ Nausea During Trips

Is your child prone to felling sick during the voyages? Our advices can help you travel more easily. Nausea while traveling can be felt at any age and it can cause a chain reaction among more children at the same time. Regardless of the transportation means (car, boat, plane, amusement park rides…) the cause is always the same: kids’ eyes and inner ear feel movement and they send that information to the brain; trouble occurs when disagreement appears between those messages (experts call this sensor disagreement).

For example, if your child watches cartoon on tablet device during the ride on mountain winding road, its inner ear feels movement, but its eyes register that the kid is sitting still. When those conflict signals meet, the child starts to sweat, feels dizzy, has headache, and sometimes nausea that can result in vomiting.

Whether your child will have nausea or not, depends on several factors, including the path and length of the trip, and position in the car which effects visual perception. Classic triggers of nausea during the voyage are frequent lane changing, winding roads and frequent stopping and going. If your child feels sick during the trips, there are few things you can do.

1. Position is very important

Before starting the trip, open the windows and air your vehicle. Child should be sited in the middle position in the back seat of the car so it has clear view to windshield. Explain to your child that holding head still instead of dangling left or right will make him feel better. If disorientation happens during the trip on the ship, make sure that the child sits somewhere where it can see horizon.

2. Avoid screens

Even though many parents see salvation in cartoons during the long trips, experts are warning about bad effect these devices have on kids.

The thing is that images from cartoons and games create overage of visual stimulation that can confuse children perception of moving and cause nausea symptoms.

Same thing can happen while reading in the car. This happens because children view is fixed but the ears respond to movement at the same time.
3. Time your trips

If it is possible, try to go on the longer trips during the night when children sleep. If this is not possible try to go early in the morning when traffic is not so bad. Drive as cooled as possible, avoiding sudden braking and passing other cars. Be sure to make breaks every 2 or 3 hours for at least 15 min, so the kid can step out of car.

4. Carefully choose what you give them to eat before the trip

Even though it may seem as a good idea to set your kid on the trip with empty stomach to avoid nausea don’t do it. When the child is hungry, you making it even more sensitive to turbulences. But also don’t let them eat too much. Easily digested food and snack rich in proteins are the best choice. Avoid foods with strong smells and be sure that child is hydrated.

5. Watch out for the symptoms

If your child starts complaining about nausea the best thing is to turn the vent on it and allow clear view through the window. If the situation is getting worse, make break, wait until child feels better than continue your trip.